Still available on Amazon for Nook and Kindle, hard copy booklett to re-print November 2013

Monday, June 11, 2012

Yelling at the Mexican's in My Tree!

What a Monday morning! Last night I didn't sleep well. My husband set his alarm and it went off at 2:30am. He wears ear plugs. (He says this is so he can sleep above my snoring. I say it's so he can't hear himself snoring.) I finally had to shake him to wake-up and turn the blazing-loud alarm-thing off. He uses his old phone as a clock so he can see the time in the night, but I have never figured out how to turn the alarm off. Especially when I am fumbling around in the dark!

He finally got up and turned it off, he started to get ready for work, until I pointed out it was only 2:30am. He of course went right back to sleep. He can sleep at the drop of a hat. I, on the other hand have a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep. If I am rudely awakened, I'm doomed!

The alarm went off again at 4:10am (his usual time to get up and do all the junk he does before he leaves at 5:30. For the life of me, since he does not put on makeup or do much of anything to his non-hair-bald-shaved head, I can't figure out what the heck takes him so long...but I digress.) As he said prayers and left the room I mentioned I never got back to sleep after 2:30am.He said...too bad! and went on his merry way.

I decided to try and get at least another hour of sleep so began to read a very nice vampire story. I finally drifted off at a little before 8am, only to be awakened at 8:15 by a very loud noise coming through the windows. At first my groggy brain thought "Okay, it's the garbage guys who come on Mondays." But no, the noise continued and low and behold...I looked out the window to see at least three Hispanics up in my beautiful tree tied-there with ropes and using chain saws. They were in the process of cutting down the tree in the front yard!

Several times previously I have fended off these city know-nothing fellows who have tried to assault our beautiful tree. They keep telling me it is a city tree. I beg to differ because it is over 12' from the sidewalk, which seems to be their criteria.

Once when we were gone we returned to find the tree cut back. (Which by the way shades our front window and keeps the electric bill down in the summer...Oh maybe they are in cahoots with Edison and Co.) It had a haircut that I can only call a butch-cut. Down to the nub. That must have been about 5 or 7 years ago and just now the poor thing is finally starting to come back. This tree has been the glory of the neighborhood and for years in the fall has graced us with the beauty of golden leaves. I love it when the sun shines through the foliage during that time of year and bathes the whole front of the house in a Midas touch of beauty.

So there I was running to get dressed and hopping around to get on my pants, I was barely pulling on my shirt and jamming a hat on my unkempt bedhead when I made it out the door and began yelling at the men in the tree!Get out of there! You don't have permission to cut my tree! It's not on city property! NO PERMISO! ALTO! ALTO! I yelled. (Maybe they hire men who don't speak english so they can claim they don't understand when you tell them to go away.)

The guys in the tree all grinned and stopped their chain saws but remained in the tree watching the boss, "Padron", on the ground.

It seemed they were getting a kick out of me yelling at him and telling them to get off my property. He told me the city told them to cut the tree. I said NO! go away! Give me the city number, "Ill tell them where they can go!"

"I like my tree just the way it is." We have tons of memories wraped around that tree. So, the up-shot was, I was given a number to call and get an explanation. Well, "Ignacio" has some s'plaining to do! Not even a notification about the cutting! I almost feel like I need to be as dilligent as Butterfly Jones. She was the tree-hugger lady who sat in an oak tree to prevent people from cutting it down to build more and more homes. Good for her! Good for me, I averted another tree biting the dust! I hope, I can only HOPE they don't come one day when I'm gone.

Confession time!....I never called Ignacio, but the men with the chain-saws never came back...Yeah!

About Me

I'm a wife of 45 years, mother of 5, grandmother of 16. I've been a writer all my life and began directing plays in the second grade. I've written, and directed numerous community productions many under the name "The Santa Clarita Valley Light Opera Company". While my children were young I set aside many of my interests and now that most have left the nest I can get back to writing. I've finally completed my first novel, and I must say it's almost like giving birth, except it took more than 9 months. I'm now working to have my novel published which I've found is much like casting a play...too tall, too short, not enough experience...HEY how about Life? When my children were still at home I was elected four times to the Governing Board of The Hart High School District of 25,000 students. In 16 years I helped build 5 schools, hired 3 Superintendents and maintained fiscal solvency by working with teachers, parents and created a foundation to acquire building sites. I've taught nursing for 20 years and have been an RN for over 40. I Currently teach Pharmacolocy, and Maternal-Child Health at UCLA Olive View for COC, all the time typing away hoping to be noticed by a publisher.